Max Miller interviews fellow blog crew member Christiena Auguste,
who plays Mrs. Harcourt in 'Anything Goes.'
Liz Butler on Warm-Ups
Liz Butler, who plays Bonnie in Anything Goes, sits down with
Max Miller, who plays Whitney, to talk a little about warm-ups.
The light hang, according to Peter Dunn
Peter Dunn shares what he learned at yesterday's light hang for Anything Goes.
interview and video by Max Miller
More Cast Interviews!
Actors Craig Alizadeh, Katie Moffett and Noah Faison take a short break from rehearsal
for a brief interview with fellow actor and blog crew head Max Miller.
Cast Interviews: "First timers"
Savanna Fortgang, '16, interviews some of the newest
members of the theater program at Berkshire.
members of the theater program at Berkshire.
Set Build #2
This past Saturday, the cast of Anything Goes had their second set build.
Much of the day was spent constructing and sanding the three staircases used in the show.
Much of the day was spent constructing and sanding the three staircases used in the show.
Christiena Auguste, '14, shares a short video from the build.
Line Run: The Art of Memorization
Even though the cast of Anything Goes has only been
rehearsing for 3 weeks, the cast had all their lines and songs memorized for the
two line runs we had January 3rd and 4th. This was in the best interest for us
because this way we can learn our blocking and dances to the best of our
abilities. Our line runs consisted of us sitting in a circle and saying our
lines one after the other to show that we have our lines (and cues!) completely memorized.
The cast took time out of their winter break to practice their lines, but don’t
worry - it wasn’t a burden to us because we have the determination to succeed and to make this musical the best it can be (the only people it really was a burden
to was the people having to hear one of us reciting our lines over and over
again or when we forced them to play one of the other characters so we could
practice).
by Cielo Magana
Break is almost over...
With the line run coming up, all of the actors are putting time into memorizing lines. When we come back to school, we will have a line run. A line run is when everyone sits in a circle without their scrips and reads the entire play. It is very challenging because you have to remember when to come in and what lines to say. So while everyone is enjoying their break, they are also putting in a lot of effort on memorizing their lines. May we all be blessed with a good memory in the new year.
by Max Miller
by Max Miller
Winter Break: Week 2
It’s the 2nd week into break and the whole cast is getting
prepared for Anything Goes! Some of us, including myself, are new to this
experience. But this cast and crew has been extremely supportive and welcoming
to each of us and we are all excited to be apart of this years musical. So far,
everything is going great! Although the cast is all over, all of us have been
keeping in contact and Skyping and calling each other to go over scenes and
songs. I am in Spain right now visiting
my brother and every night before bed he helps me go through my lines.I am
about to take it to the next step and practice in a distracting setting. (One
of the tips we got from our meeting before we left). We all are working really
hard because like Mr. Howard reminds us, this show will be at its best if we
work hard as a group not just as individuals.
by Savanna Fortgang
On Break; Off Book
As the cast heads off to a three week break from school, and they get to spend some time with family, they are also tasked with the responsibility of coming back from break having memorized all their lines and lyrics. Although they get a break from schoolwork the cast is going to have to work hard throughout their break on memorizing their lines. Last Friday Mr. Howard gathered the cast and crew together, so they could offer up some helpful hints and tips on how to make sure the actors know their lines extremely well when they come back, so they can work on developing their character after break.
Memorizing lines as an actor to the point where you can recite them in your sleep (not literally) is crucial. This allows the actor to portray the character with emotion, and give the audience the illusion of reality. One big tip for making sure the actors come back from the break knowing their lines is to not wait until the last week to try and memorize all your lines because it takes longer than they think. Another helpful suggestion was for the actors to make records of themselves saying the lines (including their cues), and then listen to that recording so they get the timing of the scene. Then they would make a recording of just their cues, and other dialogue in the scene, with space in between them where their lines are so that they get to practice reciting with the recording. Technology is the friend of the cast when they are trying to accomplish this demanding task.
Over the break it would be easy to say "I'll get to it later," but they have to push themselves to get it done. It is a good feeling as an actor to be able to come back, and say that you know all your lines. The line run when we come back to school is the make or break moment of the play, and I have confidence that this cast will make it, and go beyond expectations.
by Conor Ryan, '15
Memorizing lines as an actor to the point where you can recite them in your sleep (not literally) is crucial. This allows the actor to portray the character with emotion, and give the audience the illusion of reality. One big tip for making sure the actors come back from the break knowing their lines is to not wait until the last week to try and memorize all your lines because it takes longer than they think. Another helpful suggestion was for the actors to make records of themselves saying the lines (including their cues), and then listen to that recording so they get the timing of the scene. Then they would make a recording of just their cues, and other dialogue in the scene, with space in between them where their lines are so that they get to practice reciting with the recording. Technology is the friend of the cast when they are trying to accomplish this demanding task.Over the break it would be easy to say "I'll get to it later," but they have to push themselves to get it done. It is a good feeling as an actor to be able to come back, and say that you know all your lines. The line run when we come back to school is the make or break moment of the play, and I have confidence that this cast will make it, and go beyond expectations.
by Conor Ryan, '15
First Set Build
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Yesterday, the stage was full of drilling sounds. Max, Jordan, Katie, Thomas, the stage managers, Brandon and Grant started building some cool structures on the stage. Before we started building, the stage was empty and looked boring. However, everyone who was there spent their precious time on the stage working, and with their efforts and the empty stage started looking fabulous and exciting..JPG)
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First, under Grant’s direction, we put three walls together and one on the top and drilled them to build a cabin. Then, we added three more to build a double cabin. The double cabin was cozy and comfortable. After building the double cabin, we added one staircase to each side so people can go top of the cabin. The cabin and staircases look incredible and enormous.Everyone helped each other with building and cleaning up. We could not build the enormous constructions quickly without working together as a group. And, we were so proud of ourselves and excited to act on the stage with the great structures. Our first set build was a great and fun time for everyone.
by Michelle Chang, '15
Dancing the Day Away
The
cast of "Anything Goes" has been hard at work during rehearsals for the
past week and a half. So far the cast has only had music rehearsals
where they work specifically on singing songs, and blocking rehearsals
where they focus on their motions on stage. If you want to make a
musical have a lasting impression though, you can't just talk the talk;
you have to dance the dance. So today was the first of many dance
rehearsals, where the cast focuses specifically on their dancing in
the musical.
At this first dance rehearsal, the cast worked on the song "Heaven Hop." Mrs. Schleunes, the dance instructor at Berkshire, creates and teaches the choreography for the musical each winter, working with Mr. Howard's vision. Learning dance moves and executing them properly is a hard thing to do, especially if the only experience you have had with dancing of any kind is flailing around at dances. The cast is amazing at it, and it is easy to see they are willing to work hard to get these moves done right.
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Musicals are challenging beasts. You have to act, sing, and dance; often you have to combine all three of those. It is one thing to perform these hard dance moves, but it is another to be singing while you are doing them, and while being in character the whole time. The cast offers a lot of promise to achieve these tasks, and if they keep working hard, I think the audience will be in for a real treat come opening night.
by Conor Ryan, '15
At this first dance rehearsal, the cast worked on the song "Heaven Hop." Mrs. Schleunes, the dance instructor at Berkshire, creates and teaches the choreography for the musical each winter, working with Mr. Howard's vision. Learning dance moves and executing them properly is a hard thing to do, especially if the only experience you have had with dancing of any kind is flailing around at dances. The cast is amazing at it, and it is easy to see they are willing to work hard to get these moves done right. .jpg)
Musicals are challenging beasts. You have to act, sing, and dance; often you have to combine all three of those. It is one thing to perform these hard dance moves, but it is another to be singing while you are doing them, and while being in character the whole time. The cast offers a lot of promise to achieve these tasks, and if they keep working hard, I think the audience will be in for a real treat come opening night.
by Conor Ryan, '15
First Music Rehearsal at Music Center
Last Thursday, the music center was crowded with laughter and chat. For the first music rehearsal, the cast was gathered in the music center instead of the stage. Everyone seemed not only excited but also little nervous for the first time singing together as a chorus.
With Dr. Davis and Dr. Wu at the piano, the cast sat down as four voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Before singing, everyone in the room warmed up to relieve their stress or anxiety and be ready to sing. Also, surprisingly, the stage managers joined the music rehearsal as members of the chorus for the song “Bon Voyage.” We, the stage managers, worried about the first time singing with the chorus. However, under Dr. Davis and Dr. Wu’s directions, the chorus made a wonderful harmony. Even though it was not easy to learn a new song and it took a while to finish learning it, we had so much fun learning great music, singing it, and having the first music rehearsal with the chorus at the music center.
by Michelle Chang, '15
With Dr. Davis and Dr. Wu at the piano, the cast sat down as four voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Before singing, everyone in the room warmed up to relieve their stress or anxiety and be ready to sing. Also, surprisingly, the stage managers joined the music rehearsal as members of the chorus for the song “Bon Voyage.” We, the stage managers, worried about the first time singing with the chorus. However, under Dr. Davis and Dr. Wu’s directions, the chorus made a wonderful harmony. Even though it was not easy to learn a new song and it took a while to finish learning it, we had so much fun learning great music, singing it, and having the first music rehearsal with the chorus at the music center.
by Michelle Chang, '15
Let Them Eat Cake!
Yesterday the cast met for the first time to do a read-through of the script for "Anything Goes." The energy from auditions carried through to the read-through, and the whole group had a lot of fun. Everybody who auditioned is now part of the cast, and it seemed to me everybody was excited to be a part of it.
When people arrived at the read through, there was a circle of about 30 chairs on stage. The cast sat down, and within the period of three hours they read through the script. There script gained a lot of laughs, which just made people more excited to get involved with this production. It is one thing to read the script to yourself, but when it is read aloud a lot of things that might have been unnoticeable in silent reading came through. I will say one thing though; if you are a fan of puns, this show is definitely for you. Every time a song was written to occur in the script, we all listened to the song from an iPod hooked into the amazing sound system at Allen theater. It was a nice thing to see how the songs play off the script, and it was a lot easier to imagine how the scene is played out when you hear both the music and the dialogue.
One major thing that Mr. Howard brought up yesterday at the read-through was how challenging it will be to keep the feel of the musical, but still make it relevant to today. A lot of the humor is far off from our everyday jokes, and the songs are a throwback to a completely different time. It is going to be a fun task to try and convey the feel of the time "Anything Goes" was written, but still "wink an eye" at the audience, as Mr. Howard says. It is going to take the hard work of everybody in the cast to pull this off, and everyone will play a crucial role in the big picture of this show.
The last big thing about read-throughs is the tradition of cake. Cake is a wonderful thing; it is delicious, festive, and can always brighten your day. Therefore, it makes sense that there is cake at every read through, and the cast is free to quietly get up and cut themselves some cake during the course of the read through. It is just a little something else to look forward to when coming to read-through, and it was the finishing touch on the great time yesterday.
by Conor Ryan, '15
When people arrived at the read through, there was a circle of about 30 chairs on stage. The cast sat down, and within the period of three hours they read through the script. There script gained a lot of laughs, which just made people more excited to get involved with this production. It is one thing to read the script to yourself, but when it is read aloud a lot of things that might have been unnoticeable in silent reading came through. I will say one thing though; if you are a fan of puns, this show is definitely for you. Every time a song was written to occur in the script, we all listened to the song from an iPod hooked into the amazing sound system at Allen theater. It was a nice thing to see how the songs play off the script, and it was a lot easier to imagine how the scene is played out when you hear both the music and the dialogue.
One major thing that Mr. Howard brought up yesterday at the read-through was how challenging it will be to keep the feel of the musical, but still make it relevant to today. A lot of the humor is far off from our everyday jokes, and the songs are a throwback to a completely different time. It is going to be a fun task to try and convey the feel of the time "Anything Goes" was written, but still "wink an eye" at the audience, as Mr. Howard says. It is going to take the hard work of everybody in the cast to pull this off, and everyone will play a crucial role in the big picture of this show.
The last big thing about read-throughs is the tradition of cake. Cake is a wonderful thing; it is delicious, festive, and can always brighten your day. Therefore, it makes sense that there is cake at every read through, and the cast is free to quietly get up and cut themselves some cake during the course of the read through. It is just a little something else to look forward to when coming to read-through, and it was the finishing touch on the great time yesterday.
by Conor Ryan, '15
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